Of Broken Memories and Smiles
by Rainer's Cherub
Summary: Two broken people with tragic forgotten pasts. One orphaned kid with nothing to live by but his little broken smile. Several broken memories to bring the three of them togther. AU and dark. KK.


Disclaimer: RK does not belong to me.

Of Broken Memories and Smiles

Part 1

The downpour was awfully stronger that day unlike any other rainy day in restless Tokyo. A series of thunderclaps followed by several streaks of lightening illuminated the gray-colored sky, beneath which lay an extremely wet city crowded with complaining drenched individuals, scurrying away to find themselves somewhere dry to stay. The city streets narrowed down with the blatant heaviness of everyday traffic, now getting even more ponderous because of the swift unexpected turn of the weather.

Everyone that day was in extra hurry, especially those who did not bother to ponder if it was going to rain or not. After all, the weather did give certain portends of its sudden drastic change. However, there were others who had the ability to perceive what others was incapable of and had readied themselves for the abrupt weather refashioning. They made sure that they had umbrellas with them when they went out so when the rain finally came, they need not to bother themselves worrying about getting soaked. Still, there were others who, despite of the absence of any protection from the storm, walked along the sidewalks of Tokyo, as if t had not rained at all. One of them was small-time photographer, Kenshin Himura.

Kenshin was a man, who at first glance was someone who lacked the capacity to defend himself in a small arm struggle against the weakest gangster of the city. He had a taut pallid body, red flaming hair, serene lavender eyes and a mysterious cross-shaped scar emblazoned on his left cheek. Some who looked at it might see the scar as a normal insignia for skilled sword masters. But to others who make pulchritude a matter, it was nothing but a sign of a clumsy move, which he was apt to have done considering the way he held his posture when he walked, stood and sat. Others who get tired of looking then wonder where that mark came from. Half of the people who say who knew him said he got it from a juvenile sword fight when he was still a teenager while the other half said that he, himself inflicted the scar to his own face. Pretty ridiculous these theories might have sounded; he never perturbed himself into confirming or denying these rumors. He just stood like his usual untouchable self, a man who preferred solitude to company, pain to happiness...a man redolent of mystery, coldness and sandalwood...whatever and whoever he really was, nobody really knew, or ever dared to find out.

While he walked heavily, drenched and cold from the rain, another person of the same condition sat on the rocky benches of the park. This time, the person was a girl. She was there for quite some time now, maybe a couple of hours, or maybe even days...nobody really knew. Neither did anyone care. She was a vagrant. She would rather die under this storm than go home and watch herself get kicked and yelled at ninety-nine percent of the time. She lifted her knees to her face and she hugged them close, spitting a strand of hair that was caught between her lips. She sniffed in disdain, a slow weak smile breaking across her features. She was happy it rained because at least, no one would know she was crying. She had cried countless of times but it would be the first time she would without anyone knowing that she was. She was afraid to cry because she always saw herself as someone strong and brave and tough. But lately, things have grown too much for her too handle. She needed to let it out so bad and this storm could not have been any more useful to her than any other thing at this moment.

The rain was pouring down harder and she was getting colder. She knew she had to go home sooner or later. She shifted slightly in discomfort, changing her position when she felt her head hitting another. Instinctively, she turned around and caught sight of the red hair flying roughly against the vehement blow of the wind. She raised a hand and softly landed it to the boy's shoulder. The boy spun his head around and gave her a frail yet amiable smile that almost melted her heart. She suddenly felt awkward and strange. There was something about the boy that she couldn't quite understand. She was sure of one thing, however. That he was cutest and most adorable thing ever...what with that flaming red hair of his and his familiar blue eyes. From the way he was dressed, she could directly tell that he was poor and had nowhere to go to, but it didn't really matter. All that counts was that she found someone to accompany her in her loneliness.

The girl summoned up the happiest smile she could come up with and made it as genuine as she could possible can and gave it to the boy. He returned the smile and when she gestured for him to come sit beside her, he innocently nodded and obliged. . The girl looked directly into his eyes, like she was searching for something she knew was there...but was somehow impossible to find. Cutting off her own reverie, she extended her hand to the boy and smiled, "Hello, I'm Kaoru. What's your name?"

The boy hesitated for a while and took a second to appraise her. The boy slowly opened his mouth, as if he was having a hard time to enunciate a single letter. "H-Hi, Kaoru..." then he broke off. After a little while, he spoke again. "I'm...I'm...I don't have a name..."

Kaoru frowned, feeling really sad for the boy. Knowing that he didn't know what his name was, he probably didn't know his parents either. "Well, where do you live?"

The boy's face lit up and he eagerly pointed towards the bleak street corners where several garbage cans were positioned. "I live there! There! With my little friends!"

"Really?" she tried to hide the empathy in her voice and replaced them with interest, "Who are they?"

"They're these little cute rats who ea--"

With the sound of the horrendous animal, Kaoru immediately pulled the boy in her arms, her tears falling again. She felt so sorry for him and felt ashamed for complaining about her life when obviously there were others who suffered more. She held him tighter, the boy who was first recoiling from surprise found himself entirely and strangely comfortable and lax. They stayed there for a while, the rain obscuring both their silent tears. Kaoru smiled amongst her misery, like that big hole inside of her was suddenly filled with his presence. The emotions she had were unexplainable but she didn't like it to go away.

Gently, she pulled from her hold and cupped the boy's cheeks. "Do you want to go live with me?"

She knew that bringing him to her place would cause her half of her life but somehow, it felt like her own sufferings didn't matter anymore. She just couldn't bear leaving this child to the streets with no friends but savage little animals. She had to take him home no matter what the cost. Even if she had to kill herself and kiss whoever's feet it was that she had to kiss just so she could keep the boy. Why? She didn't know why. She didn't care why. All that she knew and cared at that moment was that there was something in the kid that seems to draw her closer, entrances her... like she was related to him or something.

"Really?"

And that voice too that seemed to have vanished all her problems away. And there was his smile that was mysteriously different. Like it was broken and incomplete.

"Yes" she nodded.

The boy jumped from his seat excitedly and danced around like crazy. Kaoru couldn't help but get drowned and amazed by the way he laughed, the way his eyes twinkled...everything about him just seemed to take every breath inside of her. Maybe it was too abrupt for her to feel that way but all of a sudden, she felt like this kid was her own and that she was her mother. It sounded completely absurd but something inside her kept telling her that it was somehow true.

"But before that..." she said, "we have to give you a name"

"Okay" the boy chuckled, "what?"

"I don't know...you decide..."

The boy stopped to think. It took a while before he finally spoke. "I always dream of someone calling me..."

"Go ahead"

"Kenji"

Kaoru stopped short, her heart skipping a beat. Kenji. It sounded so vaguely familiar. Her stomach was developing butterflies and once again, searched deep in the kid's blue eyes. She locked them with hers for some time until the kid broke off. Shaking her head, Kaoru cut off her thoughts and took the kid by the hand while lifting up herself to stand up. "That sounds perfect"

As they both walked along the sidewalks, Kaoru began to pale with fear, all the while trying to hide it from Kenji. She was scared to go home...and scared to present the kid to the landlady...She was afraid to think of the torturous things she and her husband might do to her if she insisted. But to hell with them! If she could endure five years of intense labor under their hands, she supposed she could definitely take ten more of them...hopefully...with Kenji right by her side, she strangely felt like she could do anything. And it made her strong. And brave. And tough.

After some few minutes, both of them finally arrived at the doorstep of the house where Kaoru worked as a maid for five years as a payment, the landlady said, for the large sum of money her parents owed her. At first, she didn't believe them but when they came to the point where the got her arrested, she surrendered herself and agreed to a working contract. Five years of work. After that, she would be free to go. But since little Kenji had walked her way, she surmised she's probably be signing another contract. This time, ten years of work. The notion itself pretty seemed very excruciating but just the thought of the kid suffering with rats was even worse than enslaving herself for a couple of centuries.

Gathering her courage, she squeezed Kenji's hand tighter and opened up the door, knowing that when she got inside, hell would be waiting...

To be continued...


End file.
